Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 38: A Mysterious Test (3)

-Un-hwi!

-Wake up, Un-hwi.

"Vice Unit Leader!"

Voices echoed in my head and ears.

When I opened my eyes, Jo Seong-won was staring down at me, letting out a sigh of relief.

-Phew. I thought you were dead.

I suppose so.

When I lost consciousness, I wondered for a moment if I was actually dying. But hearing those faint words at the very end made me realize that wasn't the case.

My head throbbed.

That energy that had pierced through my forehead was something on an entirely different level from sharp killing intent. It was a sensation I had never experienced before.

Thump! Thump!

My heart beat rapidly, and as a hot energy circulated through my entire body, my Innate True Qi began to rapidly heal me.

"What on earth happened?" Jo Seong-won asked, looking utterly bewildered.

He looked around at the surroundings, which were more than half-destroyed. A shattered incense burner, a cracked floor, and crumbling walls—everything hinted at the fierce battle that had taken place here.

I asked Jo Seong-won, "When did you wake up? And how long was I out?"

"Just ask one thing at a time. Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask... why do you use formal speech with Great Leader Sama but only use informal speech with me—"

"Just answer the question, beggar."

"Sigh. Talk about discrimination. Anyway... I just woke up myself. I tried to wake you up the moment I came to."

Discrimination, my foot.

If you knew Sama Yeong’s true identity, formal speech would come out of your mouth automatically, too.

I asked the Sodam Sword in my mind.

'How long was I unconscious?'

-Not long. About two gaks?

Only half an hour?

It really hadn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been that long. Seeing as even Jo Seong-won had woken up quickly, it seemed the man had no intention of causing us real harm.

Baek Hyang-muk, the Martial Alliance Leader and the First Sword of Wuhan.

What was he thinking, testing me like that and then just vanishing?

'Ah!'

Wait a minute.

I looked around. Come to think of it, when Baek Hyang-muk appeared, he had been inspecting the interior of the blacksmith shop. That meant even he had no idea what was going on here.

'Then did the blacksmith disappear on his own?'

No. This was the work of someone else. A third party must have kidnapped the craftsman.

During the few days I had been coming here, there had been several visitors, but the blacksmith had turned them all away. Considering that, he might have turned me away too if it weren't for the connection we formed when I broke the imitation Ink Immortal sword...

'Wait.'

At that moment, a man flashed through my mind. Yo Eop, the one who claimed to be the second disciple of the Fifth Blood Star. He was the only one who had seen the imitation sword in the incense burner.

'Baek Hye-hyang?'

Naturally, my suspicions turned toward her. But why would she kidnap the blacksmith? It was hard to understand. The only suspicious link was that the "suffering" swords Baek Hye-hyang carried were in a similar state to the imitation Ink Immortal sword.

"Vice Unit Leader?"

I stood up. I retrieved the Sodam Sword from where it was stuck in the floor, sheathed the Namcheon Iron Sword, and spoke to Jo Seong-won.

"Something is definitely going on."

"Like what?"

I figured it was better to tell him.

"The person who did this to us is..."

Flinch!

I stopped mid-sentence and looked toward the entrance of the blacksmith shop. An entirely unexpected person appeared.

Though her face was hidden by a bamboo hat, her jawline and lips were visible, making it clear who she was. It was Baek Hye-hyang.

But what was even more baffling was that Sama Yeong was following right behind her.

"It looks like something quite interesting happened here?" Baek Hye-hyang said, the corners of her mouth curling upward.

Unable to make sense of the situation, I looked at Sama Yeong. She had an expression that said, 'How am I even supposed to explain this?'

Less than an hour ago.

Sama Yeong had been grumbling to herself as she headed toward the Deungjeong Inn.

'That clueless beggar. Tsk.'

She wished he had taken the hint and left them alone. She felt a pang of regret at losing the chance to be alone with Un-hwi. Still, the thought of eating Dongpo Pork again lifted her spirits.

Even from the entrance of the inn, the distinct aroma of star anise from the Dongpo Pork stimulated her nose and made her mouth water. She went inside and placed an order to go; fortunately, they still had some left.

"Please wait while we prepare it."

After the waiter left, she leaned against a pillar to wait. As she watched the other patrons eat, she felt a strange gaze on her.

'......'

A few people on the first floor were stealing glances at her. There were plenty of other customers; why were they looking at her? She was even wearing a human skin mask, so it wasn't her real face. The attention bothered her.

'......It’s quiet.'

Now that she noticed it, the upper floor was unusually quiet. It was early evening, so the inn should have been bustling. Yet, the second floor was remarkably still. She considered ignoring it, but the unpleasantness of the eyes watching her made her suspect something was up.

Sama Yeong quietly headed upstairs.

The second floor was full of people, just like usual. However, the patrons were eating their Dongpo Pork and drinking their liquor while conversing in hushed, subdued voices.

'!?'

Then she noticed something even stranger. When she walked up, the customers at the nearby tables didn't spare her a single glance. In fact, it felt unnaturally forced.

As Sama Yeong stood there wondering, someone caught her eye.

By the window sat a lone youth, sipping liquor and picking at Dongpo Pork with chopsticks. A bamboo hat rested on one side of the table. The figure had a slight build.

When Sama Yeong stared, the youth at the table turned to look at her. Unlike the others on the second floor, this person made no effort to avoid her gaze, staring back intently.

Sama Yeong slowly approached the window. As she did, the eyes of the people at the surrounding tables moved toward her.

Sama Yeong let out a short laugh. She walked up to the table and sat down firmly across from the lone youth.

Thud!

In that instant, the hands of everyone nearby moved toward their weapons.

The youth, still chewing and savoring the Dongpo Pork, raised a hand. Miraculously, the surrounding men took their hands off their weapons and sat back down.

The youth spoke.

"It’s decent enough to eat."

The voice that came out was that of a woman. A spark of interest lit up Sama Yeong’s eyes.

The youth downed a cup of liquor as if to cleanse her palate, set the cup down, and spoke.

"You. You're the one under So Un-hwi, right?"

"And you must be that woman. Was your name Baek Hye-hyang?"

Bang!

"How dare you!"

One of the men at a nearby table stood up violently. Without even looking at him, the youth spoke.

"Sit."

"But—"

"I said, sit."

The man who had been warned trembled slightly before sitting back down. Once he was seated, the youth asked, "How did you know?"

"You don't smell like a man."

"Smell?"

At those words, the youth sniffed her own clothes. Then, she muttered in an incredulous voice, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"You can actually smell it?"

"My nose is quite sensitive. Besides, there's no way I’d miss this scent drifting through the star anise. It’s a bit too... provocative for a man’s scent."

The youth’s eyes narrowed sharply.

"You’re interesting."

Even though there was a subtle killing intent laced in the voice, Sama Yeong wasn't intimidated at all. Instead, she spoke her mind plainly.

"Does that really hide the scent of blood?"

"I suppose not. It’s so soaked into my body that I tried to dampen it a bit."

With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those words, the youth grabbed the skin beneath her ear and tore it away roughly. The true face hidden beneath was revealed.

It was indeed Baek Hye-hyang.

"You don't seem to value human skin masks very much."

"Why bother wearing a mask that’s already been seen through? Besides, I have plenty of spares. But you know... I don't dislike handsome men like you... but I don't like that look in your eyes."

Swish!

No sooner had she finished speaking than Baek Hye-hyang’s palm struck out toward Sama Yeong. It was so fast it was almost invisible to the naked eye, but surprisingly, Sama Yeong remained seated and caught the hand mid-air.

A look of surprise flashed in Baek Hye-hyang’s eyes. Even the men at the surrounding tables stared with wide eyes.

"You blocked it?"

The corners of Baek Hye-hyang’s mouth twisted into a bloody smirk. Her eyes were now filled with a competitive fire.

"Am I not allowed to?"

Baek Hye-hyang’s gaze shifted to Sama Yeong’s hand. Her eyes narrowed.

"You have a lot of calluses on your palms... but your hands are quite dainty, aren't they?"

Flash!

Baek Hye-hyang’s left hand shot toward Sama Yeong’s face. Just before it connected, Sama Yeong kicked the table upward. A piece of the wooden tabletop splintered and flew up, aiming for Baek Hye-hyang’s chin.

Baek Hye-hyang shifted her left hand and struck it down.

Thud!

The wooden board shattered and fell helplessly. At the same time, a strong counter-force was generated, knocking away Sama Yeong’s right hand, which had been holding Baek Hye-hyang’s right palm.

Clash-clash-clash-clash!

In an instant, their hands collided repeatedly. It was a duel between a hand aiming for a face and a hand trying to stop it.

The fierce exchange, where neither side gave an inch, ended in Baek Hye-hyang’s victory. She now held a half-torn piece of artificial skin in her hand.

Sama Yeong peeled off the remaining bit of the human skin mask herself.

"Ha!"

Baek Hye-hyang snorted. Looking at Sama Yeong’s face, she wore an expression of extreme displeasure. On the other hand, the men at the surrounding tables looked on with entirely different eyes at the peerless beauty revealed beneath the mask.

"So he drags a wench around with him."

"A man has to look after what’s his," Sama Yeong retorted boldly.

"What’s his?"

"I have a rule about not letting anyone steal what I’ve marked."

At those words, the killing intent in Baek Hye-hyang’s eyes deepened.

"We’re similar, then. I also have a rule about having to possess whatever I’ve marked."

"Then we understand each other."

"You must have two lives. Not many people have talked back to me like this and walked away alive."

"I suppose I’ll be one of those few."

"And why is that?"

"You're after the Blood Demon Sword too, aren't you? Do you really have the confidence to suppress me without making a sound, right here in a famous inn in front of the Martial Alliance’s fortress?"

At Sama Yeong’s provocation, Baek Hye-hyang’s expression turned peculiar. It wasn't so much offense or anger as it was genuine interest.

"You seem quite proud of your skills."

"I’m skilled enough to cause a significant scene."

"Shall we test it? Will you die before you can cause a scene, or will you manage to make enough noise to make things difficult for me?"

"That sounds entertaining. But if you had intended to do that, wouldn't you have attacked me already?"

Sama Yeong gave a bright smile. Her crescent-shaped eyes were incredibly charming.

Seeing this, Baek Hye-hyang made a strange face and licked her upper lip with her tongue. The gesture looked almost erotic.

Sama Yeong furrowed her brows.

"You’re quite charming."

"......I see you have interests in that direction as well."

"Who knows."

It was a non-committal answer, but because it sounded like a partial affirmation, Sama Yeong shuddered inwardly.

"I’ll have you know I’m not interested."

Baek Hye-hyang chuckled. She sat back down, poured herself a drink, and said, "Interesting. Fine. What is it you want to say?"

"......"

"You could have just ignored me, but you risked danger to approach me. There must be a reason, right?"

Sama Yeong thought to herself that this woman was more formidable than she had expected. But she soon revealed her intentions.

"The Vice Unit Leader has some information he wants to pass on to you."

One of Baek Hye-hyang’s eyebrows shot up.

"So Un-hwi does?"

I frowned at Sama Yeong’s brief explanation via Sound Transmission.

She said she had happened to see Baek Hye-hyang at the Deungjeong Inn and brought her here, but seeing as her human skin mask was torn, it was clear something had happened between them.

Baek Hye-hyang spoke to me.

"I heard you have something to say?"

Even as she asked, her gaze was drifting toward the signs of destruction inside the blacksmith shop.

"I do."

"Did you change your mind already?" she asked seductively, licking her lips.

I quickly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shook my head and replied, "......It’s not that."

"Then why did you want to see me? Surely you don't want to be captured like this?"

"I’ll be blunt. Have you heard the information that the Blood Demon Sword will be moved from the Martial Alliance to Wudang in five days?"

At my question, Baek Hye-hyang’s brow furrowed. From her reaction, it was clear she had heard it.

As expected of Zhuge Won-myeong, the Chief Strategist of the Martial Alliance. He must have planned to wipe out everyone even slightly suspicious in one fell swoop.

"Do you trust that information?"

"About fifty percent."

"Fifty percent?"

"But after hearing what you just said, it’s dropped to ten."

I inwardly marveled at her words. I hadn't explicitly said it was a trap, but just from the fact that I knew about it, she had immediately judged the information to be unreliable.

Baek Hye-hyang looked at me, the corners of her mouth lifting.

"Did you want to see me just to tell me that?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because your side and mine are essentially part of the same body."

"You understand well. I like that about you."

She stared at me with greedy eyes, which was incredibly unsettling. This was exactly why I found contacting her so burdensome.

Baek Hye-hyang turned her head toward the wreckage around us and asked, "Who were you having such a violent conversation with?"

At her question, I spoke as if I had been waiting for the prompt.

"The First Sword of Wuhan."

Upon hearing that name, her expression shifted instantly.

"......You traded blows with the Martial Alliance Leader?"

I looked at Baek Hye-hyang and spoke in a meaningful voice.

"Thanks to a certain someone."